The City Promotion Award Executive Committee (Chairman: Takahito Kawai / Secretariat: Japan Management Association) has opened the call for entries for the 'City Promotion Award 2026,' which honors outstanding city promotion initiatives, starting July 8, 2026. The application form submission period ends on September 14.
Concurrently, winning case studies are being published on the official website—please refer to these examples when preparing your application.
Official Website
Apply Here
1. Call for Entries: City Promotion Award 2026 Now Open
The City Promotion Award is a recognition program that celebrates initiatives contributing to the well-being of people in the community, based on data and logical models. Initiatives that can clearly explain their significance to citizens, the city council, and stakeholders are defined as 'excellent city promotion,' with the goal of realizing impactful projects and fostering co-creation among municipalities, businesses, and organizations.
Eligibility
Municipalities and prefectures, private companies and organizations, educational institutions (including high school and university students), chambers of commerce, NPOs, and any other entities recognized by the executive committee. Organizations that have implemented or are planning city promotion initiatives are eligible. ※ Applications from private companies and organizations are welcome in addition to municipalities.
Awards
Gold Award / Silver Award / Encouragement Award, etc.
Benefits of Applying
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of your initiative through scoring on an evaluation sheet
- Receive expert advice from specialized committee members during discussions and site visits
- Increase visibility through awards and the award ceremony, enabling mutual collaboration and learning opportunities with other municipalities and advanced case studies
Schedule
Item: Application Form Submission Period Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2026 – Monday, September 14, 2026
Item: Project Proposal (Selection Document) Submission Period Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2026 – Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Item: Evaluation and Research Period Date: October – December 2026
Item: Results Announcement Date: January 2027 (tentative)
Item: Award Ceremony Date: April 2027 (tentative)
How to Apply
Please complete and submit the application form below (takes approximately 15–20 minutes).
After confirmation, you will be asked to prepare and submit your project proposal (selection document).
Application Form: https://forms.office.com/r/h33FChCn4a
Details and Latest Information: https://noma.citypromotionaward.com/
2. Outstanding Winning Cases Published on Official Website
The official website now features selected case studies from 2025 awardees, showcasing detailed activities that leverage the unique strengths of various regions.
- Gold Award: Sayama City (Saitama Prefecture) / 'LINK SAYAMA' – Connecting Citizens and Staff to the City
Using the mGAP model (Motivation for Recommendation, Participation, and Gratitude toward the city) recommended by Mr. Takahito Kawai, the city quantified 'attachment' and identified challenges through benchmarking with other municipalities. This internal promotion initiative designs strategies by persona—from 'ordinary citizens/staff' to 'high-mGAP citizens/staff'—and the focus on changing not only citizens' but also staff members' mindsets ensures the sustainability of the initiatives.
- Silver Award: Hida City (Gifu Prefecture) / City Promotion Rooted in Citizens’ Daily Lives
Designed to break the vicious cycle of population decline progressing at three times the national average, the initiative starts with the goal of making 'each citizen slightly more positive.' It expands relational population through the 'Hida City Fan Club' with 17,000 members and the 'Hida-suke!' relational information center, tackling the shortage of human resources.
Gold Award: Sayama City (Saitama) 'LINK SAYAMA' Silver Award: Hida City (Gifu) City Promotion Based on Citizens’ Daily Lives
▶ Details of winning cases are now published on the official website: https://noma.citypromotionaward.com/
About the City Promotion Award
The 'City Promotion Award (CPA)' is a recognition program targeting 'city promotion'—initiatives that create regional appeal and effectively communicate it both internally and externally, enabling the local utilization of resources such as human capital, goods, funds, and information.
Based on data and logical models, it evaluates initiatives that can clearly explain their significance to citizens, the city council, and stakeholders, aiming to realize excellent projects, support municipalities, promote collaboration between businesses and organizations, and contribute to creating a co-creation space for professionals.
Organizer: City Promotion Award Executive Committee (Secretariat: Japan Management Association)
Chairman: Takahito Kawai (CEO, Public Communication Research Institute LLC)
Vice Chairman: Shinko Hosokawa (Representative, Policy Support LLC)
Committee Members: Kimi Tanaka (Associate Professor, Shimane University), Toshiki Nishiyama (Professor, Tokyo City University), Chizuru Hata (Fellow, Regional Revitalization Center)
Supporting Organizations: Public Communication Society / Civic Power Alliance Executive Committee
Inquiries Regarding This Press Release and Applications
Secretariat: City Promotion Award Office, Japan Management Association (Contact: Shibata, Iida)
Email: [email protected]
Official Website: https://noma.citypromotionaward.com/
About the Japan Management Association (NOMA)
Founded in 1949 as the 'Japan Management Efficiency Association,' NOMA has consistently promoted the modernization and efficiency of Japanese management as its core mission.
Core Philosophy:
NOMA contributes to the sustainable development of society by promoting harmony among management, humanity, and science.
Mission:
Continuously innovating tomorrow’s Japanese management together with our clients.
Japan Management Association Official Website: https://www.noma.or.jp/
FACT BOX
- Source: PR TIMES
- Category: Event